Morningstar

33

Theo walked up to Luci, who had decided to help the teenagers once again, and Scott and said, "Hey. I need to talk to you two."

Luci frowned as Theo added, "It's not really about me. But it's something I probably should've told you a long time ago."

Scott glanced to Luci, then back to Theo as Luci asked, "What is it?"

The boys looked at her as Theo said, "It's about Stiles." He stopped. "Wait... Do you hear that?"

"The police?"

"It's an ambulance."

Mason said in a panicked voice, "He just started bleeding everywhere. I don't..."

Corey was placed into an ambulance and was choking as he begged, "Don't let them do it. Don't let them kill me!"

Theo turned to the friends. "Scott, Luci, we have to follow them. We have to protect him, right? Scott, come on. Scott?"

A siren wailed and Theo kept calling Scott's name.

"Scott!" Luci called.

They followed the ambulance to the hospital and Scott said, "Hey, what did you want to talk to us about?"

"It can wait," Theo replied.

Luci frowned. "No. If there's something wrong, you have to tell us."

Scott nodded. "We've all got to start talking to each other again."

"This might not be the best place to start, Scott, Luci," Theo warned.

"You think I'm going to be angry?"

Theo shook his head. "Not with me."

Luci let out an impatient sigh. "Just get to it, Theo. I could be punishing someone, yet I'm listening to you."

"Open the glove box," Theo instructed and Scott did so. "It belonged to Stiles." Scott pulled out the bloody wrench. "He dropped it at the school."

"Dropped it when?"

"When he killed Donovan."

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked.

"You know he hurt his shoulder, right? You smelled the blood."

"That was the Jeep. He told me the Jeep's hood fell on his shoulder."

Theo shook his head. "No, no, no, that was Donovan. He went after Stiles in the library. I only saw the end of it. And when I saw what Stiles was doing... I couldn't stop him." He paused. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't be telling you this. You should hear this from him..."

"Tell us," Scott demanded.

"I saw Donovan go down. Stiles hit him with the wrench, and then, he just, he just kept hitting him."

Scott and Luci exchanged a confused look as Theo continued. "Or maybe Stiles thought he had to keep going to defend himself, but he just... He kept hitting him."

Luci shook her head as she narrowed her eyes. "I don't like liars, Theo."

"He crushed that kid's skull. I heard it cracking and splintering. By the time I pulled Stiles off him, half of Donovan's head was caved in. It didn't even look real." He began stammering. "I kept telling myself that it was self-defense, but... Scott, Luci, I'm sorry. I've never seen anyone that angry. You should... You should talk to Stiles. You have to talk to him. I'm telling the truth, Luci."

Luci eyed Theo with a suspicious gaze. Stiles' theory on Theo's character didn't seem so far-fetched, not that she ever thought it was a lie.

They noticed a body oozing black blood on the ground. "Corey," Luci said quietly. "We need to find Liam and Hayden as soon as possible."